Storeowner profile
What is/was the name of your video store?
Choice Video
Where was the store located?
Middletown, New Jersey (United States)
When did you open/buy this store?
1988
In your own words, please tell the story of how you got involved in the video retail
industry. When did you open your first video store? Why did you decide to do so?
Became a buyer for one of the first video stores in New Jersey which opened in 1979. I started in 1981 right out of high school and opened/did the purchasing for the original store and 4 more stores they opened til 1987. Left to open my own store which opened in 1988.
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features, and why did you choose to design it this way?
Strip Mall in the heart of suburbia, 6000 square feet in size, 20,000 VHS films, very upscale in design and appearence for its time. Suspended moniters throughout the store, classic film and hollywood art on walls...an original superstore before Blockbuster/Hollywood swept the country with their fast food approach to the industry.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers
or events do you remember?
Upwardly affluent, very suburban PTA member types, alot of professionals, famlies and surprisingly...quite a few celebrities. Who would have thought!
What were your employees like? What qualifications or expertise did
you look for in an employee?
Mostly female, young 18-21, friendly cheerful...basically nice suburban girls.
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store? How did this selection change over time?
VHS Only
In addition to mainstream Hollywood movies, what other kinds of videotapes
(for example children's, exercise, or X-rated) did your store rent/sell? Where were
these videos found in the store, and how important were they to your business?
Huge amount of adult films (seperate room...only the best titles/manufactures...no comps) Any given time 600-700 titles...always bringing in new. Huge foreign, classic, cult, music, childrens and catalog title sections. We built quite a reputation for diversity and depth of product.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Video game rentals, Video transfers, VCR Repair, Candy and Refreshements
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to your business?
Yes, by this time, VCR's and Camcorders were fairly common so it was a very small part of the business.
During the period that you worked in video retail, what changes did you see
taking place in the industry as a whole?
Invasion of the chain superstores (Blockbuster/Hollywood) The heyday of the 1980's renting over a thousand movies on Friday/Saturdays was over.....Hollywood got involved in the profits from rentals, rentrak, the days of independent video stores was winding down. Now that Blackbuster and Hollywood video are closing up stores left and right...guess what goes around comes around.
Are you still in the video retail business? If so, please describe your current
involvement in the video industry.
No...out for good and happy to be. Had a good run and enjoyed my time, but the business changed and the gold rush was over. Timing is everything!